The MD-11 aircraft, owned by UPS, crashed shortly after takeoff in Louisville, heading towards Honolulu, as reported by Reuters.
According to Governor Andy Beshear, seven people died in the incident, three of whom were crew members. There are also reports of 11 injuries on the ground.
In footage shown by WLKY, the plane can be seen taking off with a burning wing, and then, upon hitting the ground, it creates a massive fireball. The fire caused by the crash, which occurred shortly before sunset, led to several fire outbreaks in the industrial area near the airport, Reuters reports.
Debris from the plane is scattered across two runways.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, this aircraft was manufactured 34 years ago and crashed around 5:15 PM local time.
The plane was scheduled for an 8.5-hour flight to Hawaii and was loaded with 38,000 gallons of fuel (approximately 144,000 liters).
Louisville is home to UPS Worldport, the company's largest global cargo hub and main package processing center.
The Governor of Kentucky also noted that there was no hazardous cargo on board that could pose an environmental threat.
Authorities have declared a shelter-in-place order for all residents within an 8-kilometer radius of the airport.
The MD-11F is a long-range cargo aircraft developed by McDonnell Douglas, primarily used by airlines such as FedEx Express, Lufthansa Cargo, and UPS Airlines for freight transport.
Boeing, which closed the MD-11 program after merging with McDonnell Douglas, expressed its concern for the safety and health of the victims and promised to support the investigation.
